Harry Yarnell (DLG 17) - Naval Cruise Book

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HISTORY J£j J C U I YARNELL ' s busy and illustrious career began in May 1960 when her keel was laid. A year later she was launched and on February 2, 1%3, she was commissioned into the United States Atlantic Fleet. From north of the Arctic Circle to the Magellan Straits, YARNELL has sailed the Atlantic on many crossings and earn- ed the highest recognition attainable in her associations with the Second Fleet in the Atlan- tic and the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. Always a streamer, the following highlights of her voyages attest to her outstanding reputa- tion. 1964: Intensive shakedown training in the Caribbean; YARNELL received the highest grade for the year at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and qualified as a first line missile ship off Puer- to Rico. Later she joined the Second Fleet as flagship of Destroyer Squadron 26 and deployed to the Sixth Fleet. Christmas for her crew was at Cannes on the French Cote d ' Azur. 1965: YARNELL returned to the States for Operation Springboard in the Carribean, then returned to the Mediterranean for Christmas in Beirut, Lebanon. Transiting the Dardannelles on January 3, she entered the Black Sea raising protest in Moscow but demonstrating the United State ' s adherence to the principle of freedom of the seas. 1966: Nato exercises in all types of fleet (operations and awards for excellence: YARNELL won the highly sought Battle Efficien- cy E for DESRON 26 as well as weapons and ■ operation E s. She also was winner of the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for top gun in the Atlantic Force of 150 com- batants. 1967: Back to the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean for hunter-killer operations in ASW; YARNELL was chosen to represent the United States at the Canadian Centennial Naval , Assembly in Halifax, Nova Scotia. ■ 1968: Placed in out of commission status for installation for new computer systems and electronic eagioment. 1969: Recomissioned in Boston on July 12, YARNELL moved to Newport, Rhode Island for her new homeport. More shakedown cruises and missile firings followed in the Carribean. 1970: YARNELL rejoined the Second Fleet in operations in the Carribean. She was chosen to represent the United States Commander South Atlantic Fleet on the 19,000 mile UNITAS XI cruise around South America. 1971: Local operations along the U. S. east coast as flagship for Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla TWO including three training cruises in sup- port of the U. S. Navy Destroyer School. Departed for six months in the Mediterranean as part of the Sixth Fleet. 1972: YARNELL continued operations in the Mediterranean taking part on various Sixth Fleet and NATO exercises. She returned to Newport in June, stopping enroute to aid the stricken research vessel, SS TRIDENT. In July YARNELL was notified that she had won the coveted Battle Efficiency E for the DIG 16 26 Class guided missile frigate. During the remainder of the year, YARNELL conducted important training cruises and converted to Navy Distillate Fuel, a cleaner burning fuel oil. 1973: YARNELL was dedicated to an impor- tant CNO Project— ATD (Automatic Target Detection) — aimed at improving the detection capabilities of the Fleet. Again, in July YARNELL was the winner of the Battle Efficiency E for DLG 16 26 Class guided missile frigates, and in addition she won the Engineering and Gunnery E for this year. In August, she readied herself for her fifth Mediterranean deployment.

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USS HARRY E. YARNELL DLG 17

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CAPTAIN ROBERT D. DUNCAN Captain Robert D. DUNCAN assumed com- mand of the YARNELL on 28 July 1972. He was born 10 October 1925 in Webb City, Missouri. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy and was commissioned Ensign in June 1948. He serv- ed as Commanding Officer of USS MCMINNVILLE {PCS-1401), USS GUIDE (MSO-447), and USS FECHTELER (DD-870). Other significant sea duty in- cludes tours as Communications Officer, USS CONY (DDE-507), Executive Officer, USS DALE (DLG-19), Executive Officer, Underwater Demolition Team TWELVE and Surface Operations Officer on the Staff of Commander Carrier Division SEVEN. His shore duty includes tours in the Operations Directorate, Joint Staff, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Current Operations Section of the Staff of Commander in Chief U. S. Pacific Fleet and more recently as the Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations Plans) for Commander Cruiser- Destroyer Force U. S. Atlantic Fleet. Captain DUNCAN graduated from the Naval War College in 1963 and holds a Masters Degree in International Relations from George Washington University. He also participated as the Navy Member in the Thirteenth Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy conducted by the Foreign Service Institute of the U. S. State Department in 1970-1971. Captain DUNCAN and his wife, Patty, have two children, Douglas, 22, and a daughter, Kyle, 19. The DUNCANS presently reside in Middletown, Rhode Island.